kenji mizoguchi is clearly one of the greatest film makers that ever lived. i would rate this film as his all time best. slightly ahead of "ugetsu" which is also superb. "sansho the bailiff" is one of the most devastating portraits of human suffering that i've ever seen on film. a mother is seperated from her 2 children. she is forced into a life of prostitution. the children are sent to a slave labor camp. years go by, and it seems unlikely that the 3 will ever be reunited. mizoguchi's film looks like a collection of great masterpiece paintings. it is gorgeously shot in black and white. i love every last frame of this sensational film.~~~~~ hmmmmmm, let's see.....10/10
Review of Sansho the Bailiff
